www.byzcath.org Forums News & Events Church News Full diplomatic relations established

http://www.zenit.org/article-27738?l=english

With this historic event, the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church might not be well behind?

Amado

I don't think it has any theological implications at all. The Vatican is a theocracy, so it has men in clerical suits doing its diplomatic business; it is still secular business.

May God be praised, and may the day be hastened when the Churches of God are united in communion.
Stephanos I
If not now when?
If not us, who?

Full diplomatic relations is an important thing, but it's not, per se, the road to reunification. It's an acknowledgement that the Vatican State is in fact a civil government.

Diplomatic relations are conducted by the Holy See, not the Vatican City State. As the link noted correctly, the proposal is:


"The Vatican" in such a context is shorthand for the Holy See (i.e. the Church of Rome as headed by the Pope) and not a piece of real estate, just like "the White House issued (e.g.)" refers to the President and his administration and not the building at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue.

ajk...the Holy See is the Government of the Vatican City State. A bit like the RUssian Government is the head of the the Russian Commonwealth of Independent States.

Vatican State is a theocracy, as I said. The Holy See is its government (unless it has a civil parliament full of elected Swiss Guards I don't know about).

In theocracies the religious leaders do civil/ secular business. That is the definition of a theocracy; think of the Dalai Llama. He does a LOT of secular business.

No, the Holy See is the juridical and sovereign entity that embodies the Catholic Church. By legal fiction agreed upon by the international community and by the member-states of the United Nations (successor orgnization to the League of Nations), the Holy See is deemed also a member-sate.

The Holy See has been in existence as such since time immemorial (at least in the Middle Ages) and states (and countries) have been in diplomatic relations with her. The Vatican City came into being only in 1929 when the Lateran Treaty made it the independent territory of the Holy See.

The day-to-day governance of the Holy See is undertaken by the Roman Curia led by the Secretariat of State. The Curia functions at the behest of the Pope.

Amado

I am well aware of that but it is a step forward.
Stephanos I